PLANT FINDER

Description:

A lovely fruit tree, bearing firm and juicy semi-freestone peaches; ornamental, with amazing pink flowers in spring; golden yellow fruit with scarlet blush gives way to sweet yellow flesh; ideal for fresh eating, grilling and baking

Edible Qualities

Sentry Peach is a small tree that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces gold round fruit (technically 'drupes') with a scarlet blush and yellow flesh which are typically harvested when mature. Note that the fruits have hard inedible pits inside which must be removed before eating or processing. The fruits have a sweet taste and a firm texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves
• Canning

Features & Attributes

Sentry Peach is smothered in stunning clusters of fragrant pink flowers along the branches in early spring, which emerge from distinctive red flower buds before the leaves. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The narrow leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruits are showy gold drupes with a scarlet blush, which are carried in abundance from mid to late summer.

This is a deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and squirrels to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects
• Disease

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Sentry Peach is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Sentry Peach will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years. While it is considered to be somewhat self-pollinating, it tends to set heavier quantities of fruit with a different variety of the same species growing nearby.

This tree is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.